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2024 SowBridge Educational Series Starts Feb. 7

BROOKINGS, S.D. – Sow producers can access swine industry experts from the comfort of their own homes or barns with the 2024 SowBridge webinar series, which kicks off on Feb. 7.

The monthly webinar series provides timely information about sow production from the nation’s leading industry experts. Sessions are also recorded, with links provided to subscribers as they become available. Recordings will be available for six months after the session.

“This is an inexpensive way to learn how to address some of the current challenges in sow barns by national experts,” said Bob Thaler, Farm Credit Services of America Endowed Chair in Swine Production, Distinguished Professor and South Dakota State University Extension Swine Specialist.

Thaler and Ryan Samuel, assistant professor and SDSU Extension Swine Specialist, have presented during SowBridge in the past and are on the committee that selects topics. Thaler said SowBridge topics are carefully selected with current producer needs in mind. Experts are then selected based on their knowledge of those topics.

“One of the really nice things about SowBridge is we are able to look around the whole country and say, ‘who is the best person to talk about this?’ ” Thaler said. “It’s really producer-focused.”

Sessions are typically the first Wednesday of each month via Zoom, starting at 11:15 a.m. CST and lasting no longer than an hour. Approximately the first 40 minutes will be a presentation, with time at the end for questions.

This year’s dates and topics are:

  • Feb. 7 – Best and worst of audits: Preparing for success.
  • March 6 – Managing sows in pens for alternative housing from weaning to breeding.
  • April 3 – Barn equipment and ventilation fan maintenance.
  • May 1 – Issues with successfully breeding gilts and sows.
  • May 29 – Herd veterinarians: What they want to know.
  • July 3 – Implementing precision feeding in the sow herd.
  • Aug. 7 – Sow foot care.
  • Sept. 4 – Feed biosecurity for the sow herd.
  • Oct. 4 – Replacement gilt management and selection for group vs. stall gestation.
  • Nov. 6 – First-parity sow development.
  • Dec. 4 – Managing nurse sows.
  • Jan. 8, 2025 – Sow shoulder sores: Causes and treatments.

Registration for the entire series is $200. To register, visit Iowa State University’s SowBridge website at https://www.ipic.iastate.edu/sowbridge.html.

SowBridge is provided through a cooperative effort of 15 colleges and universities from the nation’s major swine producing states, including SDSU, and coordinated through the Iowa Pork Industry Center at Iowa State University.

For more information, contact Bob Thaler at 605-688-5435 or Robert.Thaler@sdstate.edu; or Ryan Samuel at 605-688-5165 or Ryan.Samuel@sdstate.edu.

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